Bryston Vs Classe

I've been doing a lot of research recently for upgrading my speakers. In the process I started reading the old AVA Audio Basics archives (http://www.avahifi.com/root/audio_basics/index.htm).

The man provides a very intersting take on popular hifi culture. He's been in high end audio for more than 20 years and really seems to know his stuff. AVA supports the unpopular opinion that hifi can be engineered (with only a few unknowns), and backs it up with a line of electronics and twenty years of the Audio Basics journal where he discusses every aspect of hi fi in great, easy to understand, detail.

Even if you don't wind up agreeing, it's a very good read. When I'm ready to upgrade my Bryston 2BLP, I will definately take advantage of their 30 day at home trial and see how the AVA amplifiers stack up.

Ardemus,

after recalling some electronics studied years ago especially on amplification designes(hell not only at audio freequencies but at radio as well for repeaters) i started asking myself what the hell wire has to do at audio freequencies whatsoever?
And the only answer is it has to make money with tremendous profit that you can measure from 5x upto 20x.

I read AVA statement and the couple of things I didn't like about it is their specification hiding. Despite their statement, there are parameters of amplifier that only suitable for the "good sounding one" and not too long ago 20years or so manufacturers displayed all their graphs and responces to show how they stand for their product to reveal the design work. Secondly I wouldn't simply trust to the company that is producing amps in the garage lab with neither established dealer nor service network as Bryston, Audio Research, Pass Labs and even Classe. I know I'm able to fix many electronic failures but not always I'd want to waste my time on that and would prefere to have a service so I'd think before biting wire bait...

Pass labs is simple and excellent solution but very expencive even to build yourself or buy used and every expencive solution not always the best.

Pkmclean, like you I own Dynaudio speakers and am searching for an amp that match well with the Dyn. If you search archive here at Audiogon, you will find that many Dynaudio owners here found that Plinius gear to be a very good match. When I bought my Dyn, the authorized dealer that I brought from in NY recommended Bryston by name. Either way, I have no doubt that you will be happy with either the Bryston and Plinius. Best of luck!

Isn't one piece in the bryston line I'd be interested in personally keeping!..20 year warranty considered. I've owned lots of high end amps, and Classe's have been in my system as well. For the money, they are indeed superb! I find them more refined than what Bryston has made(no, the 7b's don't belong in class A, sorry). Yes, the top end slam, and overall refinement isn't what something like high end Pass, Krell, Threshold, or Levinson is offering in solid state, but it bests Bryston IMO! (of the older Classe, the CA150 was the best sounding!
I do give current delivery to the Bryston however, but I couldn't live with the Sonics. I think it's a bit warm, bland, and bloated in the bass..not to mentioned rolled off on top, as a line. I just think the Classe's offer more transparent and more pure sound compared to Brystons' sound

After auditioning the bryston 4b SST in my system (Adcom "temporary" CD player GCD-700, Rowland Consonance Preamp, Transparent musiclink super ICs (SE) and speaker cables, Signal Audio "new model" balanced ICs, Martin-Logan SL3s, Velodyne ULD-15 series II sub) I found I preferred the Classe CAM-200 monoblocks, much to my surprise. You don't have to scroll up very far to find me saying I don't like Classe. Someone made me a great deal on the monoblocks used, good enough that if I needed to I could re-sell them and roll into a 4b SST or something else-- to shorten the story, the Classe design really excels at letting detail come through, and has plenty of slam. The fully balanced amplifier circuitry was a good match for my preamp, and the noise level just dropped to nothing. The Bryston was good in this regard, but not as good.

The Bryston sounded good, but more "abrupt"- attacks were too "in your face"-- to the point of being unnatural (yes, the amp was broken in well, a floor piece is what I demoed)-- acoustic guitar strings were plucked too hard- like they were miked too close or something. Not sure if this is describing it well- this is why I don't write for a stereo rag.

The Classe's midrange was more natural, and whereas both amps imaged well, the Bryston's presentation was too forward, a bit shallow, and a bit narrow. The Classe seems to allow the soundstage to extend outside the speakers, with excellent depth. With the right other components, the Bryston might be outstanding, but with the rest of my stuff it was just too pushy. Some of this may well be interaction between the Rowland and the Classe vs. the Bryston.